


The Zookeeper's Husband

by ThatEreriGirl



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Avengers Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Holocaust, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Marvel Universe, Tony Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 14:38:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14334612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatEreriGirl/pseuds/ThatEreriGirl
Summary: Holocaust Au in which Loki and his daughter, Laila, reunite after being caught sheltering Jews. But Tony was kept for questioning, and Loki has no clue as to where he is or whether he'll be killed or jailed for disobeying the law.  Based off of the movie, The Zookeeper's Wife.Warning: a LOT of fluff and feels.





	The Zookeeper's Husband

**Author's Note:**

> This scene was given inspiration by the very last scene of the Zookeeper's Wife. Yes, there's an OC in here, her name is Laila. She's based off of my best friend who passed away a year ago, and she was a major frostiron shipper, so anytime I write forstiron fic anymore, she is always their child.

(Before you start this story. I highly, **_HIGHLY_** suggest you listen to the song, "Warsaw Zoo, 1939" if you really want to immerse yourself into the scenes while reading this. I wrote this specifically so it - depending on how slow or fast you read - fit the music. Seriously. Go do it.) 

~~

“Laila!” Loki cried as he saw everyone pile out of the truck, faces weary, each person carrying a bag. The young girl, who was being helped out by Thor, instantly perked at the sound of her father's voice. Her wide, owl-like eyes looked through the tiny crowd of humans getting out before her. Thor frowned and looked around as well, his eyes seeing out farther than her. And through the sea of black, brown, and blonde heads, he spotted his brother’s. He smiled slightly and held Laila's hand, letting the child find her father on her own. It seemed only fair to him that it be that way.

“Papa?” she said aloud, squeezing Thor’s hand in anticipation. Loki pushed past people who kept trying to reach out to him, who kept trying to tell him how happy they were to see him. He was happy to see they all arrived safely and well, but above anything, he wanted to find the one last piece of his heart he currently had left.

The crowd parted for only a brief moment, and the trickster managed to catch a quick glimpse of his daughter. His stomach flipped, and his heart ached as he ran towards her, tears threatening to fill his eyes.

“M'love, I'm right here,” he said quietly, desperately trying to make his way towards her through all the bags that kept swinging near and over his head.

Laila’s sparkling emerald green eyes met those alike to hers, and she instantly burst into tears.

“Papa!” she shouted, her voice hoarse.

She sprinted towards him, Loki sprinted towards her, and Laila very nearly crashed into the god’s arms. Loki lifted her up with ease, adrenaline putting every ounce of energy back into his worn out bones.

“Baby, my little one, my little deerling, my love,” he whispered through tears that finally left his eyes, “I'm right here Layliana.”

He kissed her head, her cheek, her lips, her eyes, her hair, trying hard not to sob out loud. His tears landed on Laila’s face, causing the girl to push the god's face away from hers.

“Papa don't cry,” she worried, “There's no reason to cry.”

Loki held Laila slightly further away from his face so that he could take a good look at her. The girl’s eyes continued to sparkle with life, despite what she had seen, what she had been through. She smiled warmly and put her tiny hand on his cheeks.

“Im okay Papa,” Laila smiled.

Loki didn't bother to stop the tears that continued to drop from his eyes and onto his chest and shirt. He held the young girl close to his chest, and held her tightly. He didn't want to let go. He wasn't going to let go.

“I know sweetheart,” he whispered, “I know.”

~

Loki smiled lovingly at his daughter as she set up plates with him. The young girl’s dirty blonde hair waved ever so slightly in the soft breeze, catching the light of the sun that shone just barely enough to warm the chill in the air. The plates and utensils clinked when they were set on the table, and the leaves of the trees rustled in the wind harmoniously.

He paused his plate-setting to look up at the light blue sky, spotted with a few, thin clouds. Flowing to wherever, whenever. They reminded him of his daughter’s magic, flowing and soft, and everlasting. Just as his mother’s once was.

He closed his eyes and let the breeze flow through his hair. He really needed to cut it. It was becoming a mess. But the one person who always did it, despite doing a horrid job, wasn't there. He didn't know where he was.

Loki opened his eyes again, somehow not feeling the entire urge to cry the way he did so many nights. Maybe it was the air. Maybe it was the sun. Maybe it was the feeling he had, knowing they were finally safe and free. He couldn't tell.

“Papa?” Laila's tiny voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Yes deerling?” He met her eyes, wiping away the thoughts that flew around his head.

“When is daddy coming back?”

Loki set a plate down, with the fork and knife that went with it.

“I'm not sure my love,” he answered.

“He is coming back though, isn't he?” she asked.

Loki looked back up and smiled at her.

“Would your daddy ever leave you?”

Laila shook her head furiously.

“He would never!” she affirmed.

“That's right.”

The girl nodded and continued to spread out the plates and cups so that they were right before all the seats. Loki folded the napkins by hand, refusing to use magic. Everyone else around him was working with their own flesh and blood. And he would do the same.

“Papa I'm gonna go tell everybody that the table is almost ready,” she said as she wiped her hands along the white, worn out apron she wore. Loki would have to make her another.

He nodded and smiled.

“You do that little one,” he agreed. Laila smiled brightly and ran off, her torn boots and tiny legs carrying her as much and as fast as they could. Thor, Natasha, and Bruce, who were placing flower buds into the dark soil, smiled at the spritely girl as she sprinted past them.

“Well, I guess that's the signal,” Natasha grunted as she got up. She took off her gloves and wiped her head with a sigh, albeit, a happy one.

“C'mon boys, first meal in a long time. Better wash up,” she said as she gave them both firm pats on the back. She gracefully leapt over their mini garden and waltzed off towards the house to clean up and change.

Bruce also took his gloves off and set his on top of Natasha’s. He got up with a chuckle, a hand on his back.

“Oooh boy. I'm gettin’ old,” he said, amused. A rumble roused from Thor’s chest, resembling that of a laugh.

“I would not say so, Doctor. You're fit as a fiddle,” he reassured. Bruce laughed.

“Thanks buddy.”

Thor nodded as Bruce also walked towards the house, following after his friend. He then turned to his brother, who was stubbornly trying to straighten out the table cloth on all ends of the table.

“I do think that that's quite enough, brother,” he pointed out, laughter laced into his voice. Loki frowned in disapproval as he took a step back to examine his work.

“I think not.”

Thor raised a brow as he stood up from his kneeling position.

“Oh is that so? Then how else might you fix it? There isn't a single wrinkle that could be seen by the eye of man nor god.”

Loki shot Thor a glare, only to find the large man smiling warmly. Loki’s muscles relaxed, and his eyes softened. He brought his attention back to the table.

“It must be perfect, brother. These people deserve it,” he answered quietly.

“And it is Loki. It is.”

Loki's eyes lingered on the table and all the plates for a few moments longer, the sun sparkling off of the glass. He silently laughed to himself as he realized his OCD-ness was starting to very much resemble that of Anthony’s.

He lifted his eyes to meet Thor's again, and the blonde god only kept that smile in return. He nodded and turned away, making his own way to the house.

Loki, finally deciding he was satisfied with his job, put one last knife beside the plate at the very end of the table, when he noticed small movement of a tiny figure in his peripheral vision. He looked towards the direction, and then back to the table, only to do a double take back into that direction.

And there he was.

Walking around the corner, his eyes adjusting to the sun.

There he was.

Anthony.

“Oh my god,” Loki whispered, standing still, not entirely sure if what he was seeing was reality.

Was it a trick? Illusion? His magic divulging the very thing he wanted?

But sure enough, the figure stayed as Loki blinked not once, not twice, but three times. And the two men caught each other's eyes.

“Oh my god!” Loki shouted as he began running forwards. Tony stayed where he was, a confused look on his face, as he himself was not finished comprehending what his eyes saw. Loki only ran faster, basically sprinting towards his lover.

“Anthony!” he cried, his voice cracking, “Tony!”

The wind flew past his ears with a low howl as he ran, and the sun hit his eyes. The gravel beneath his feet crunched and crackled, and pebbles flew everywhere, hitting his calves. His stomach was doing flip after flip, his heart, aching, his blood, rushing, flowing so fast that he could hear it in his ears. Happiness and relief filled his body, filled so much so that he felt it was going to overflow into a burst of sobs and tears. And it did.

“Tony!” Loki was almost screaming at this point, tears spilling from his eyes like fountains. Tony caught vision of his god running towards him, and his heart made it's way up to his throat.

“Lokes,” he choked out.

And just as Laila had crashed into her father, Loki crashed straight into the arms of his lover, sobbing out loud, no longer giving a care in the world as to who could and could not see.

His human, his mechanic, his love, right here with him. Alive, breathing. Being.

Two bodies collided, and Tony picked Loki up and spun him around, laughing and crying at the same time. He set him down and their lips clashed together, begging to finally get a taste of each other. It was only short lasting, as the two men couldn't breathe from crying and laughing. But there were many.

Loki breathed against Tony's lips as he kissed him over and over.

“You're here, I can't believe you're here,” he whispered and gasped.

“I wasn't going to let those motherfuckers keep me away from my family,” he replied back, breathless.

Loki let out what was a mix of a laugh and a cry.

“Y-yah,” he laugh-cried.

“DADDY!” a tiny voice shrieked from behind the two men. Loki turned to see Laila sprinting towards them. Tony kept one hand around Loki's waist and held the other one out.

“Baby girl,” he whispered. The young girl burst into tears and she jumped up and wrapped both arms tightly around his torso.

“You're here!” she squeaked, voice swimming with too many emotions.

“I'm here,” he confirmed. He pulled his daughter in, and Loki wrapped his arm around her so that the two were wrapped around each other and the girl. And all they could do was cry and laugh together.

“Let's go eat, yeah?” Tony said, trying to break up the sobbing mess of a family circle. Laila nodded with a wide, tear stained smile before running back to the table, where everyone was beginning to assemble.

"Guys! My daddy's home!" she announced loudly. Loki and Tony exchanged amused glances. 

Loki kissed his lover again, and ran his fingers through Tony's hair. He was here, beside him again. The mechanic relished in the feeling he's been missing.

Loki, being here, next to him, running his hands through his hair the way he always did.

“I'm back babe.”

“It appears as though you are.”

“Let's eat?”

“Yes. Let's eat.”

The End

**Author's Note:**

> This was a little blirp that was birthed by pure inspirarion, heh. I've been stuck bed ridden cause my back hurts like shit, haha.   
> I may make a story out of this? If I see that people even like it.   
> Kudos, comments, and criticism is always appreciated! <3


End file.
